


So much for drinks night

by meclanitea



Category: Free!
Genre: Gen, M/M, best friend sousuke trying to be a wingman but not really, i'm sorry rin for all this embarrassment, ikuya is there because I love him hi ikuya, implied souharu is you squintttttt, makoto and ikuya are also there but they're just witness to the unknowing train wreck, no beta we just die, no story just kinning sousuke embarrassing rin over his crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:40:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24162226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meclanitea/pseuds/meclanitea
Summary: When trying to deal with your feelings, don't tell your best friend because he will absolutely embarrass the heck out of you.orRin tries to tell Sousuke about his new found feelings for Makoto but embarrassment ensues
Relationships: Matsuoka Rin & Yamazaki Sousuke, Matsuoka Rin/Tachibana Makoto
Comments: 8
Kudos: 44





	So much for drinks night

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you [@averyblue](https://archiveofourown.org/users/averyblue/pseuds/averyblue) for supporting this idea! <3 
> 
> I've loved Free since it was just "The Swimming anime" but I've never written anything for it so uh here ya go.
> 
> Warnings for swearing but it's minimal, or well the 'worser' swears only happen like once.  
> Warnings for secondhand embarrassment, not minimal.
> 
> This started out as a more serious fic but I just had so much fun writing the funny parts that it became all funny...to me at least. Lol, I hope y'all have fun reading as well. I didn't complete my watch of Season 3 bc well...yes, so any inaccuracies might come from there (and let's just assume Rin is back to training in Japan).
> 
> Press F to pay respects to Rin.

Rin Matsuoka doesn’t drink.

The last thing you want as a professional swimmer is to swim deadass drunk and drown from impaired motor skills.

However, desperate times call for desperate measures and even if he thinks beer is downright nasty and can’t fathom why anyone would willingly drink this on the daily, he’s going to get super inebriated for the first time in his life.

“Yeah, no, Rin. That’s enough.” Sousuke takes Rin’s half-finished drink away from him.

“Hey! Give that back!” Rin whines.

“You just coughed up most of what you tried to gulp down. I don’t think that’ll help you out even if you were a lightweight.”

Rin growls. Just because his Sousuke is right doesn’t mean that he should say it.

Sousuke raises his eyebrow, daring Rin to counter him, and dammit does he know how to handle Rin so well.

“Fine! But you’re paying for this!” Rin lets go of the mug and his best friend places it as far he as he can from his reach.

They’re at an ikazaya that’s far enough from the training pool that they won’t meet any of Rin’s teammates or coaches and question his decisions for the night. That’s Sousuke’s job for today, though Rin would rather he won’t judge at all.

He leans back on his seat, crosses his arms, looks away, and huffs. Sousuke can easily bait him if they make eye contact, and Rin had planned out for his drunken self to do all the talking. He’s not good at letting the words out sober, or as a crying mess.

“Rin,” Sousuke calls out. His voice is gentle, leagues away from his stern tone just minutes earlier.

He counts to ten to steady his breathing. Rin knows what anger, no matter how petty, can do, and it never ends well.

He turns to face Sousuke and tries to speak, but nothing comes out. When he was 10, he was so sure that at 20, he would be scared of nothing. He’s turning 23 in a few months and now he’s frightened shitless of verbalizing what had been plaguing his mind for the past few days.

Rin doesn’t quite slam on the wooden table but it’s a near thing. He grips the edge tightly and moves forward. Sousuke straightens up and focuses his gaze at Rin in response.

“Sousuke. If you dare laugh at me, I’m going to pull all your embarrassing childhood stories from my memory and make sure facebook gets acquainted with them.”

Rin clenches his hold. Damn, these sort of things shouldn’t be this hard. He should just try to get it out there as quickly as possible.

“Have you ever fallen love?”

Oh damn, he messed up.

Sousuke doesn’t say anything right away. “What? Is it…is it Haru?” He sounds so meek that it takes Rin aback.

“Haru? What does this have to do with Haru?”

“You’re not in love with Haru?”

“Wait, what?! Where’d you get that idea?”

“Well, from you.” Rin thinks back on it, and okay, fine. Haru stirs a fire in him like no other, but it’s not the kind that Sousuke is talking about. At. All.

“Haru is my rival,”-in more ways than one-“and one of my best friends. I love him but I’m not _in_ love with him.”

“So who the hell are you talking about?”

Rin waves his arms around. “Lower the volume, won’t you?” He starts to whisper, “I don’t want the whole ikazaya knowing about my non-existent love life!” Rin flits his eyes around, scanning if they’ve attracted any attention. Upon landing his stare back again at Sousuke, the latter shakes his head.

“This really isn’t the place for this kinda thing,” Sousuke deadpans.

“Well, I was supposed to get drunk and tell you all about this shit so that I didn’t have to think too much about it, but you veto-ed that idea with your horrible beer-”

“I veto-ed against the drinking, you’re the one who insisted.”

“-and it ruined my whole plan!”

“A terrible plan.” Sousuke raises his hand and beckons a waiter to their table, asking for their bill.

Rin’s eyes widen. “You’re not really paying for my beer, are you?” He’s not that shameless, contrary to what he had said earlier.

“I know you wouldn’t let me pay on your life.”

-

“The answer is ‘yes’ by the way.”

“Answer to what?”

They’re walking down a street en route to Sousuke’s apartment. It’s much nearer than Rin’s that’s a few stations away.

Sousuke rolls his eyes and gives out an audible sigh. “Doesn’t matter. Now who are we talking about?”

Rin stops in his tracks, hands in his jacket’s pockets. He waits for his best friend to turn around before taking in a deep breath, “It’s-”

“Rin! Sousuke!”

They whip their heads in the direction of loud familiar voice. Really, Rin thought this day could not get even more embarrassing. He clenches his fists and stifles his need to shout out a curse.

“Makoto, Kirishima,” Sousuke acknowledges.

Did the object of his affections really have to have such bad timing? Rin was literally just about to get the words out.

The streetlight shines on Makoto like it’s some sick joke of the universe. He gets it okay? Makoto Tachibana is gorgeous with his brown glasses that make his pretty green eyes pop and his big wide smile that could probably end world hunger or anything. He doesn’t need a goddamn spotlight to already highlight all that and how he rocks the casual wear he uses for school.

Rin has eyes. He can see all that, thank you very much.

He also has a lot of pride, so naturally, he puts up a front. One hand flicks upward, alongside his usual greeting “Yo.”

Makoto finally leaves that damned spotlight and goes towards them with Kirishima Ikuya.

A sudden flare goes through Rin and he’s disgusted with himself. Kirishima had been good friends with Makoto and Haru back in middle school after Rin had left. There’s no reason why they couldn’t venture outside together in all platonic terms, just like why he’s out here with Sousuke right now. It’s a pain having irrational ugly feelings within him. He hates it.

“Rin, are you okay?” Makoto’s voice takes him out from his downward spiral of bad thoughts. Rin notices the wrinkle in his forehead and the concern in his voice.

“Yeah, just dandy.”

JUST DANDY? REALLY MATSUOKA??

Sousuke starts to cough, but Rin suspects that he’s laughing at him.

“Actually, Makoto, Rin’s been feeling feverish. I checked earlier and told him it’s his imagination but he’s insistent he’s all..hot.”

Oh my god. Sousuke has his poker face on but that bastard is definitely smug underneath all that. And he knows. He knows Rin too well and if Rin ever dreamt about being subtle, Sousuke has casually thrown that out the window.

“Thinks he needs a second opinion, why don’t you help him out?”

Rin might have to apologize to Gou because her big brother might get arrested for strangling his best friend in the middle of Tokyo.

Makoto frowns at both of them. “You’re not working yourself too hard, are you, Rin? You should have checked right away with your medic after training.”

The next thing Rin knows is that Makoto freaking Tachibana places his forehead to his and his face is so close that Rin thinks he has forgotten to breathe. After what feels like forever, Makoto his face away from Rin’s but still has one of his hands on his shoulder.

His hand is warm and Rin is doing his best to keep his expression neutral. It’s embarrassing enough that Sousuke is witness to all of this, but Kirishima is also right there, maybe wondering what the heck is wrong with Makoto’s former teammate.

“See, Rin? Told you you’re okay.” Sousuke smirks at him and he growls back in reply.

Kirishima seems bewildered by their exchange and Makoto still looks troubled.

He tucks a loose hair behind Rin’s ear and if he wasn’t burning up before, he definitely is now. “It’s good that it turned out to be nothing, Rin. But if you feel weird, don’t hesitate to tell your coach, alright?” It’s a gentle sort of chiding that’s perfect for dealing with children. Rin can’t help but smile a bit at that even if he is annoyed at being scolded. Makoto’s going to become a great teacher one day. And whoever’s great future husband.

“Guess it’s the weather or something,” he mumbles. 

“Go home and get rest, okay?” Makoto cocks his head and looks between him and Sousuke. “Wait, aren’t you far from your apartment from here though?”

The plan to not be caught by anyone he remotely knows by going as far from his actual home as he can pretty much backfires on him. While Rin splutters in thinking of a response, Sousuke swoops in. “It’s fine, He’ll be staying over at mine. We were just on our way there actually since it’s nearer,” he says, nonchalant as he puts an arm around Rin’s shoulders.

“He kept complaining that he needed rest.”

“I didn’t!” Sousuke gives him a look and Rin grumbles away. His best friend might be telling a white lie for his sake but he doesn’t want to appear as the same immature brat he was in high school.

Rin likes to imagine that the worry on Makoto’s face is a hint of jealousy but he’s read too much shoujo manga to know that assuming anything is the worst thing to do.

“Hurry on then. Take care, you guys.” Makoto finally smiles again and waves goodbye.

“You guys too.”

-

When the two are out of sight, Sousuke gives him the biggest shit-eating grin.

“So, it’s Makoto, huh.”

“Shut. Up.”

“Your expression was priceless. You’re lucky that Haru and Kisumi weren’t there.”

The image alone of that scenario makes Rin groan.

He's never going out for drinks again.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry Rin, uhhh yes. 
> 
> Why was Ikuya there? Author's power to put characters they love randomly there.
> 
> I don't post much Free! but if you ever wanna scream about MakoRin with me, you can me dm on @meclanitea on twitter!


End file.
